Gridlock in Gears of War 4: Same Map, Beautiful New Look

Counter-Strike has Dust 2. COD: Black Ops has Nuketown. In Gears of War, Gridlock is the iconic map fans clamor for in every new release. The Coalition pulled out all the graphical stops for Gridlock in Gears of War 4. Check out how nature is winning the fight in the map flythrough below.

Between this and Forza Horizon 3, the folks at Xbox are delivering stunning graphics this fall.

It’s the small things that add up to create a visual treat in Gridlock on Gears of War 4. The waves crashing into the sniper tower. The wind blowing fabric and leaves around. The bell swaying above Boomshot.

The Coalition also took the opportunity to clarify the map layout via visual cues. The two spawn towers opposite the sniper tower side are labeled as hotel and cafe now. And a ‘Bell Tower Station’ sign just above the Boomshot. In case the big ass belltower swinging in the wind didn’t give it away.

Some shooters resort to text on the UI to indicate where on the map you are. The Coalition’s approach works much better. C

Clean map design makes callouts feel much more natural and effortless. If you hear someone say sniper tower, hotel, cafe or station – you know exactly where they are talking about. And those four simple callouts cover 75% of the map. Weapons located across the map can help you narrow down where an enemy is such as grenade spawn or Hammerburst spawn.

Gears of War is all about power weapon control and map awareness. The Coalition uses visual and audio cues to give players all the information they need to play the match. You know when you hear a Boomshot fire and the subsequent explosion. Or, the distinct sound of the Longshot.

All of this information is available to you with a minimal UI. It might not seem like a big deal on the surface, but it’s this attention to detail (visual and audio) that makes Gears of War’s multiplayer such a quality experience.

Need more Gridlock? Of course, you do. Here’s another look with a sneak peek at the Guardian mode.